Illumination devices such as tasklights or worklights are used in many different situations where illumination of an area is required to allow an individual to perform a task, e.g., repair or install a component, or for other purposes. These devices typically use incandescent or fluorescent light sources, both of which suffer from a variety of problems. For example, incandescent lights are easily broken, generate considerable heat that can burn skin, upholstery, etc., and may be a fire hazard around fuels such as gasoline. Incandescent lights may also pose a shock hazard around water or when used in wet areas.
Fluorescent lights tend to be cooler than incandescent lights, but remain fragile and are typically too large to insert or place in areas with limited clearance. Furthermore, fluorescent lights typically do not offer the ability to provide focused, or at least collimated, light energy to allow for more detailed visual inspection.
In some situations where incandescent or fluorescent worklights are not practicable, flashlights may be used to provide the desired illumination. However, flashlights are often too large to be placed in positions where they can illuminate the desired areas. If the flashlights are small enough to be placed in the proper positions, they often cannot provide enough light energy to provide the desired illumination.
Attempts to use optical light fibers or other light guides as worklights or task lights have focused on the use of end-emitting fibers to provide spot illumination of relatively small areas. Where general area illumination is required, a different worklight is used or the light guide is removed from the light source and the light source alone is used to provide the desired general illumination.